A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, has charged a Honduran national with illegal reentry, social security fraud, and identity theft. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, alongside Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of Homeland Security Investigations in Nashville, and Sam Olson, Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations in Chicago, U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement.
Vidal Ricardo Murillo-Zuniga, a 34-year-old Honduran citizen, was originally charged with reentry after deportation. He was found in the United States on January 22, 2025, having previously been deported on May 29, 2013.
According to the superseding indictment, Murillo-Zuniga allegedly committed social security fraud and aggravated identity theft on June 13, 2024, in Nelson County, Kentucky. He is accused of using another person's social security number to gain employment at Mammy’s Kitchen and of using their name, date of birth, and social security number in the process.
Murillo-Zuniga has appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Western District of Kentucky and remains in custody pending trial. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 2 years to a maximum of 9 years in prison, with a federal district court judge set to determine the final sentence.
The case, investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration Customs Enforcement Enforcement and Removal Operations, is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Ansari. It is part of Operation Take Back America, which aims to tackle illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and prevent violent crime.
The public is reminded that an indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court. Parole is not available in the federal system.